Athletic protector



v Sept. D. R. BRADY 2,296,335

ATHLETIC PROTECTOR Filed Nov. 29, 1940 Patented Sept. 22, 1942 2,296,335

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATHLETIC PROTECTOR David R. Brady, Highland Park, Mich., assignor to David R. Brady and J. Windsor Davis, as joint trustees for Brady Research Company, Detroit, Mich-., a joint-venture company Application November 29, 1940, Serial No. 367,807

4 Claims. (01. 2-3) This invention relates to athletic protectors helmet. The body portion 1 is formed of fibrous such as are worn by players in various games, material or of suitable plastics molded or formed such as football for example, and has for its priinto the approximate desired shape. The crown mary object to provide a protector having resilportion of the body I is inset as illustrated at ient material incorporated therein in such man- 2 and in this inset portion is a layer 3 of sponge ner as to absorb considerable of the shocks re- .or foam rubber. The rubber 3, is of substantial sulting from impacts of other objects or persons thickness and is secured to the body I by on therewith. adhesive. A layer 4 of comparatively tough Athletic protectors of the type here concerned rubber is then placed ov e Sponge foam are usually composed of a shell-like main body rubber and the xp portion of e y portion of comparatively .stifl material with The rubber 3 is preferably an emulsion of padding incorporated therein to avoid discomlatex applied after the sponge or foam rubber fort to the wearer due to chafing resulting from has been adhered in place by spraying, brushing its stillness. This invention has for its object o pp The ex is e cured o V111- to providesuch protectors with shock absorbing canized and adheres to both the rubber 3 and to material externally thereof which tends to abthe body i and constitutes an air impervious sorb a major portion of the forces resulting from 8 f r th Sponge o m e other moimpacts with other objects or players. In th teriai than latex may be employed if desired. case of the conventional protector the wearer For e p e layer 4 might b p d is protected against bruising as the result of imof an elastic plastic known commercially as Koropacts but thefull forces of such impacts are felt seal, Polyvyhol Chloride, Plexiglass, by the wearer. In the case of the present pros typ s f sp o a ru r have tector these forces are to a great extent absorbed interconnected e s Whereas in other pe the so that the full forces of impacts are not felt cells e e S p ate from adjacent ce sby the wearer. This feature has particular util- 5 In the case of the first mentioned yp the ity in the case of football helmets which allatex or liqu d co t l 8 tendency to D though comparatively stiff in the presence of irate a Substantial depth by permeating severe impacts transmit stunning shocks to th through one cell to another. -In filling the cells wearer. The present invention absorbs s mthe elasticity of the sponge rubber is reduced cient of these forces to reduce the shock to the materially o in Such cases it is desirable o P wearer. vent penetration of the coating material. To

Another object is to provide a. protector c prevent this the rubber I is coated with a rubber prising a stiff main body ortion having a, h k cement such as rim cement for bicycle tires or absorbing material in the form of sponge or a cement commercially known s vulcfl-Lox foam rubber, with a casing of tough, durable rub- 5 which contain res s and which after be pber hermetically sealing the sponge rubber to plied and allowed o dry will become tacky When assist in securing the sponge rubber to the main heated. The rubber coating s applied over this body and to protect it against damage and tearcement and When the coating is Vulcanized ing. cured the cement bonds the coating to the sponge Another object is to provide a padding member 40 l'llbbefinternally of the protector for contact with the The rubber coating 4 provides a tough, durable body of the wearer, said padding being in the casing which prevents tearing of the sponge form of a toroid of sponge or foam rubber enrubber and assists in securing the sponge rubcased in a coating of tough durable rubber. her to the fibrous shell or form I. It also seals Other objects and advantages will become the sponge rubber hermetically andtherefore more fully apparent as reference is had to the reduces its tendency to oxidize.

accompanying drawing wherein my invention is To position the hehnet on the head of the illustrated, and in which v wearer a cushioning element 5 is provided in Fig. 1 1s a side view of a protector, the! crown thereof. The cushioning element Fig. 2 is a cross section of the protector, and 0 comprises a toroid 6 of sponge or foam rubber Fig. 3 is a cross section illustrating a modified enclosed in a casing I of tough, durable rubber. construction. The casing l is applied to the sponge rubber in More specifically i designates the main body the same manner that the casing 4 is applied portion of a protector which in the present into the sponge rubber 3. The sponge rubber 6 stance is illustrated in the form of a football is completely sealed within the casing I and its In the form shown in Fig. 2 the inset 2 enablesplacement of a comparatively thick layer of sponge or foam rubber externally over the entire crown portion of the helmet. Fig. 3, however, illustrates the sponge rubber tapered so as to merge into the contour of the helmet. It will be understood, of course. that the sponge rubber 3a of Fig. 3 may be applied without fabric as shown in Fig. 2, or that the sponge rubber of Fig. 2 may be used with fabric as disclosed in Fig. 3.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention, and such changes are contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. An athletic protector comprising a shelllike main body portion of comparatively stiff main body portion, said helmet having the crown portion inset with respect to theremainder of the contour thereof, a layer of spon e rubber secured to the crown portion externally thereof,

tour thereof, a layer of sponge rubber in said inset, and a casing of air impervious rubber overlying the sponge rubber and surface bonded to the sponge rubber and the helmet.-

3. An athletic protector comprising a shelllike main body portion of comparatively stiif main body portion, said helmet having the crown portion inset with respect to the remainder of the contour thereof, a layer of sponge rubber secured to crown portion externally thereof, a layer of open-mesh fabric overlying the sponge rubber, and a casing of air impervious rubber bonded to the sponge rubber through the interstices in said fabric.

4. An athletic protector comprising a shelllike main body portion of comparatively stiff main body portion, said helmet having the crown portion inset with respect to the remainder of the contour thereof, a layer of sponge rubber secured to the crown portion externally thereof, a casing of tough, durable rubber bonded to the exposed surface of said sponge rubber, and 8. padding within said body, said padding comprising a toroid of sponge rubber encased and sealed within a layer of air impervious rubber.

DAVID R. BRADY. 

